Thorn
by Shadow Quil
Summary: By day, Haruno Sakura is a musical prodigy. By night, she is Rose; a merc for the Senju clan. As she confronts Sasori of a rival group, she doesn't expect to slowly gain respect for the man and, out of this respect, love. Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto
1. How the Scorpion discovered a Rose

**Shadow Quil: This will be a SHORT SasoSaku story, probably no more than five chapters long. It was based off of an idea from a friend of mine, Gigiceriser, and I have adopted the idea and continued it here. All credit for the basic storyline goes to her, as well as a sequence later in the story (which will be credited accordingly)**

Chapter One

_In the underground, there is a war; a war of titans, fought by mere humans with their toys._

_Two clans that equalled power greater than one mortal could imagine shed blood like water from an overflowing river, rapid and frequent._

_All it takes is one signature to sign your life to this war, yet it takes the icy hand of death to pull you away again._

The red haired man arrived at the scene of his would-be job; search out and destroy the target. It was simple enough, requiring only one bullet and a time-span if twenty minutes: five minutes to scope the building, five minutes to locate the target, three minutes to kill the target and then the remaining seven minutes spent erasing any clues of his presence. He arrived, right on time, only to find it already done.

He was good, but not _that_ good.

His eyes scanned the area, his target dead from a single shot to the ribs – a shot that would have pierced his lung, giving him a death slow enough to get information from him. Information about what, he did not know; his task was to kill the bastard, not interrogate him, but still. It was a job done well, very well.

It was _his_ job, done _his_ way.

This man's name is Akasuna no Sasori, but would be known better under the name '_Scorpion_'. During the day, he makes a small living as a starving artist, sculpting the beauty of the word for eternal preservation. After the sun goes down, and his dusty red hair turns to blood, his eyes going from soft mahogany to piercing rust.

Sirens down the street alerted him to the presence of the Uchiha Force already beginning to swarm the area and, kill or no kill, it was time to leave. Even with his connections to the Uchiha Police Force, there wasn't a chance of them pulling strings to get him off-the-hook when he was found at a scene with a gun – not yet fired that evening, though – and a dead body.

Climbing up a fire-escape ladder, Sasori flung himself onto a roof and scowled as he watched Uchiha Fugaku leave his car, heading to the body with a scene photographer. This had been happening for a week now; he arrived to do his job, but the man was dead and the scene was cleared. He needed to know who took his kill – but first, the boss needed an update.

He worked for the Kaguya clan, whose ties with the Uchiha clan went back many centuries. However, sometime after Uchiha Madara lost power and his younger brother took control, the Uchiha clan severed all ties with the criminal underworld and became the best police force in the city of Gakure. Despite this, their bonds with the Kaguya clan remained and, as such, when an assassin of the Kaguya family kills, the police force looks the other way.

Along this train of thought, Sasori wondered if the person who took his job was of a rival clan. The Senju clan, perhaps – or one of their allied families, but they all came under the same group when alliances were spoken of. Since the beginning of the clans, the Kagura clan and the Senju clan had fought ruthlessly, dating back to the days when ninja roamed.

A branch of the Hyuuga clan – allied with the Senju clan – broke away from them and renamed their new clan 'Uchiha', siding with the Kagura clan. It brought great shame to the Hyuuga house, who then vowed destroy every last member of the new 'Uchiha' clan for betraying them. This had yet to be achieved and, the way Sasori saw it, the Uchiha clan had established their own place in the world too firmly for them to all be erased. The Hyuuga clan's ambition, having let their problem fester too long, was null now.

He leapt from the roof and into a nearby ally, about to vent his anger on the wall when he felt the sensation of someone watching him. The hairs on the back of his neck stood on end and he froze for a moment. This could have been the one who was taking his kills, after all, but the presence felt too light for it to be someone with killing intent.

Looking around, Sasori's piercing eyes caught sight of a figure he knew well behind a wall and called out, "Deidara! Stop acting like a stalker."

"Insult me and you'll get no information, hmm," he warned, stepping out. His shining goldenrod hair contrasting with his sharp steel blue eyes, ringed with black that only made the colour stand out further. Uzumaki Deidara (codename: Katsu), a recon and destruction specialist; makes a daytime living as a potter, loved for his golden hair and eyes the colour of deep sky.

"Information on what?" sighed the redhead, rubbing his eyes as Deidara came closer and held up a small digital camera – he was a master with it, truly; he could capture a single moment with extreme accuracy, almost as if the camera was his eye.

"The chick that stole your kill," he smirked, seeing Sasori's eyes widen. Deidara, after hearing Sasori's problem from the wrong side of a locked door, had taken it upon himself to find the job-stealer.

"A woman?" he snarled, "What _woman_ could do my work?"

"So sexist, hmm," Deidara scolded, pulling up the 'gallery' option on the camera and showing Sasori the picture. A woman, as stated, was hold an automatic sniper rifle in one hand as smoke rose from the end – recently fired. Her hair was short, cropped around her chin and spiked at the ends; the colour of pink coral. Blazing harlequin green eyes spoke joy of her – his – job completed. In her other hand, clasped tightly, was a violin case.

"Who is she?" he breathed, captured by the beauty of this killer. Deidara noticed this and grinned, pulling back the camera as he deleted the picture.

"Her codename is _Rose_, a mercenary working for the Senju clan," the blonde responded.

"Rose, huh?"

--

"Ah, Haruno-san, you forgot your hat!" a man called to one of his best customers as the woman walked towards the exit of the small tea shop. She smiled, her grass-green eyes sparkling softly as she placed the navy blue cap – the gift of a friend – atop her cherry blossom locks.

"Thank you," she responded as she turned away, her black jeans stretching against her legs as she moved. Her off-the-shoulder poet's shirt fluttered in the breeze when she left the shop, her arms becoming chilled while her torso was kept warm with her dark blue body warmer. Black trainers making a soft 'pat' sound as she walked, Sakura moved away from the tea shop and up the road into town.

"Haruno," a dark-skinned man called from across the street. Sakura looked over and smirked, walking to him slowly and casually.

"Hello, Omoi," she greeted carelessly. "Where're Karui and Samui?"

"Don't know, don't care," he grunted, unwrapping a blueberry lollipop and placing it in his mouth, his cheek bulging cutely when he began to speak again, "You've got another job tonight."

"Oh, goody," she rolled her eyes, "and I assume it'll have to be done quickly, too, before you-know-who turns up."

"Voldemort?" the blonde snorted, pulling the lolly out of his mouth and licking it.

"Scorpion, you moron," she snapped. "It's no wonder the girls can't stand you."

"As I recall, _you're_ the traitor here, not me," Omoi snarled, shoving an envelope into her hand. "Here's the meeting place; don't be late."

As the teen left, Sakura opened the envelope and read the address quickly before ripping it into as many pieces as she could and dropping it in a close by bin, soon followed by a lit match. By the time the police were informed of, yet another, arson, she would be hidden in the shadows of her work. A killer for hire, though that was only what she would say when/if caught.

What she was really was far more frightful concept; a mercenary owned by the Senju clan.

--

_For centuries, this war had been fought in the shadows._

_For years, this war has been a losing situation on both sides._

_Many deaths and endless tragedies on both sides: Kagura versus Senju._

_All it takes is one signature to sign your life to this war, yet it takes the icy hand of death to pull you away again._

_One girl fights to escape this life and begin another. _

_One man watches her live this way and seeks to end her._

_Neither will succeed._

_**This is their story...**_


	2. A budding Rose needs to bloom

Chapter Two

"_We have to go!" a boy with long brown hair yelled as he tugged my wrist harshly, pulling me away from a room of flames. I struggled to get away from the boy of the Senju allied clans, but it was fruitless._

"_No! Ino's still in there!" I shouted back, fighting against his grip. The fire exploded from the room, making me jump, and my eyes widened. Tears blurred my vision as I was pulled again._

"_Not anymore."_

Sakura gasped as she woke up, reaching quickly for her violin case. She pulled it to her chest, breathing heavily and looking around her room. There was no one else in there and she relaxed, rubbing her forehead and clearing the unshed tears from her eyes. The pinkette mentally cursed Omoi, his comment the previous day having more of an effect on her than she thought if she was having the dreams again.

"Stupid sugar freak," she muttered, standing from her bed and walking to her kitchen slowly. Sakura's living space was nothing more than a small, sparsely furnished apartment with two bedrooms, a living room, a kitchen and a bathroom.

The girl reached into her cupboard by the door and pulled out a small tub of headache pills, taking one. She walked to the tap, grabbing a recently washed glass from the rack and poured herself some water before taking her pill with a large gulp of the liquid, helping it down her throat. Glancing at her microwave, Sakura's eyes widened at the time.

_03:47_ – in the freaking _morning_!

Life wasn't fair.

"_I left her to die!"_

Jumping at the sudden memory, Sakura dropped the glass and hissed when it hit her foot, cutting the skin before smashing. Instinctively, she backed away from the blood-stained glass and grabbed for a piece of kitchen roll, dabbing at her wound and pulling out any pieces of glass she could see. It was a mere flesh-wound, nothing serious and her pain was mostly from the shock of the hit.

"_I'm sorry, Ino_."

"I'm sorry, Ino," she whispered without thinking, her hand still holding the thick tissue to her bleeding foot as a tear rolled down her cheek. "I am so sorry."

"Haruno, nice to see you," a cheerful voice greeted from her kitchen window. Sakura looked up and glared. "I had a feeling you'd be awake."

"What is it this time, Omoi?" she glared, wanting the cause of her nightmares gone from her sight. Sakura damned the one who assigned him the role of delivering her missions to her.

"Take it easy! I have a new job for you," he boasted, knowing she wouldn't be happy. The dark-skinned boy caught sight of the blood on the floor, then her foot and winced for her. "Ouch, you should get that looked at."

"I'm fine," she grunted, standing and forcing herself to swallow the pain stabbing through her foot. "What's the mission?"

"Just your run-of-the-mill take-out," he shrugged, but Sakura could see from the wicked glint in his yellow gaze as he handed over the brief that it was more than that. Quickly reading the information, her eyes widened.

"I have to wait around and confront _Scorpion_?" she growled, throwing the sheet back at him. The teen caught it easily and smiled, already used to her outbursts.

"Sure; he _is_ your main target, after all," he smirked. "Oh, and one more thing," he added, overjoyed at the prospect of annoying her further.

"What _now_? Do I have to kill myself, too?" she snarled. Omoi chuckled.

"Close," he cheered. "While Scorpion may be your target, _you_ are also _his_," the teen grinned. "Be as reckless as you want; I may have a new partner by the end of the day."

"If you don't leave, _I'll_ have a new partner _sooner_," she warned, the teenager taking the hint and leaping out of the window, running away down the street and into darkness. "I have to take out a guy that's ten years my sempai in this line of work," she muttered. "...I'm so dead."

--

"She is so dead," Sasori grunted as he kicked the arm of her – supposed to be _his_ – latest hit.

"Hey, Danna!" yelled Deidara as he ran into the warehouse, tripping over some robe. Before he could react, he was pulled into the air by his ankles and his wrists – hanging over his head – were tied together. His eyes widened and Sasori drew his gun, but the person who had trapped Deidara was faster and managed to run into the shadows.

"I got rid of the spare," his voice called loudly, echoing around the large abandoned warehouse. "Red's all yours, Rose," he added.

"Perfect," a female voice rang out and before Sasori could blink, his gun was kicked out of his hand. It fired as it hit the floor, the bullet lodging itself into a wall.

"Don't you know not to throw a gun when it's not on safety?" Sasori hissed, grabbing the wrist of his attacker before she could run. His eyes met hers; harlequin struck rust hard.

"I know now," she whispered, moving closer without breaking eye-contact; Sasori smirked – knowing what she was trying to do, of course – and also began to lean in, his grip tightening rather than loosening as she had expected. The girl's eyes widened and fear was evident in their depths as they shrivelled to a grassy colour that Sasori hated.

"I'm not going to fall for a little seduction, girl," he told her softly, reaching up a hand and stroking her hair; it seemed less of a harsh colour than he had seen before, now appearing dull when compared to the coral tone it was in the photograph Deidara took of her. She was losing her appeal in her fear.

"I wasn't –" he silenced her excuse by pushing her away, having no interest in a whimpering teenager. No, he would fight only Rose; the girl with striking harlequin eyes and coral pink hair.

This teen with cherry blossom locks and grassy green eyes may be pretty, but she was plain; she was ordinary, by his standards, and her dulled colouring brought out her flaws. He needed Rose back, and if he had to give her time to prepare for him in order to get the killer out of her, he would. He wouldn't settle for less.

He would give her all the time she needed, so long as it fitted his busy life.

After all, Sasori hated to be kept waiting.

--

"You ran away like a snivelling rookie!" the man scolded harshly as he struck the girl across the face. She fell to the floor in a heap, her eyes catching worried, moon-toned orbs as she pushed herself up, tasting blood in her mouth.

"I apologise," she bowed. "Next time, I –"

"Next time!" he roared, "She expects there to be a _'next time_'; after this, I should have you demoted!"

"Please, uncle," the teenage boy Sakura had locked eyes with implored as he stepped forwards. "She has an injured foot – an accidental wound – and she wasn't ready to fight someone with Scorpions years of experience. She was no match for him," he continued, not seeing Sakura shaking her head, warning him to stop.

"An injury?" the teen's uncle snarled, "Not ready? She's a mercenary for the Senju clan! She is _my_ responsibility, Neji! If she fails, I have failed in giving her a mission suitable of her skills. _I_ failed in my duty. I did _not_ fail and she was _ready_ to fight him, if only she weren't as spineless as a snake!"

"I am not a snake," Sakura muttered. She was pulled up by her hair.

"What was that?" the man growled. Sakura glared at him, Rose immerging from her shell.

"I am not a snake!" she yelled, but the man didn't care. He dropped her to the ground and turned.

"I shall give you one more chance," he sighed. "Dispose of Scorpion, or die trying." With those words, the man left. Neji ran to Sakura's side, helping her up, but she pushed him away.

"I am not a snake," she said again. "I am _nothing_ like Sasuke."


	3. A Rose Unfolds

Chapter Three

A baby wailed loudly as she was placed down in the alleyway, her mother glaring at the newborn in distain. She was wrapped crudely in a dirty white blanket, a small tuft of pink hair on her head and tear-filled green eyes, her pale face turning red as she cried her protests. The mother didn't care how much the baby complained, and turned away.

"You're a devil child," she hissed, about to run when she froze, her eyes widening. "...Kagura..." she whispered, spotting the pale hair, fear in her face.

"The gypsy psychic," the man opposite her sneered, stepping closer; his knife winked at her in the light of the moon, threatening – daring her to run. "What are you doing here, hmm?" he asked, his eyes quickly finding the baby. "What monster abandons a newborn baby?"

"She's a demon," the woman said desperately as he walked to the baby, picking her up and instantly soothing. "She'll grow and she'll destroy you, Kagura! You'd be best leaving her to die and –!"

"So you won't have to pay for the food that fills her stomach, or the clothes on her back," he scoffed. "I know why you want rid of this baby," he continued, putting his knife away and pulling out a gun. "I hate selfish people; you have a beautiful baby girl, Haruno..."

_**BANG**_

"...and I shall take much care in raising her to work for the Kagura clan," he continued, putting the gun away. "Also, I myself am not a Kagura. My name is Hatake Kakashi."

Sakura grew under Kakashi's tutelage, learning from him what it means to be a mercenary. This meant quick kills, done in style. During her time with the Kagura clan, she met many of the allied clans' children, forming friendships with the likes of Yamanaka Ino and Uzumaki Naruto. One boy, by the name of Uchiha Sasuke, was _not_ her friend, but rather her love.

She trained hard, her friendships with Naruto and Ino growing with her love for Sasuke until _that day_; this day that those in the Kagura alliance view as their worst day of all – when they lost _two_ of their agents to opposing clans, not to mentions several more to death.

Sasuke had been tricked by a small organisation leader known as 'Orochimaru', a drifter between the clans that did odd jobs for both, as he once had a friendship with Jiraiya of the Kagura clan and Tsunade, the current ruler of the Senju clan. The Uchiha was lured into joining the Oto clan – a group rather than a family – and to prove his worth he did something that not only forced Naruto to hate him, but Sakura as well.

He started the fire.

Ino had died and Sakura had been taken from the clan by a boy of the Senju clan – who she later learned was Hyuuga Neji – who had believed her to be an innocent at the time. When they found out just who she was, a choice was presented to her; she could be allowed to leave and live a normal life, be hunted by returning to the Kagura clan or joining them.

Killing was all she knew: the choice was clear.

That was how Sakura became the traitor of the Kagura clan and the black sheep of the Senju clan. Tsunade took an instant liking to her, going so far as to train her to be a field-medic, someone who usually worked on group missions. Sakura completed the training to an extent, but Kakashi had raised her as a killer, not a healer, and she was soon slitting throats again – much to Tsunade's dismay.

Now we get to this point; Sakura is faced with choices again.

She no longer has the choice of walking away, and must either accept the mission to kill Scorpion...or die. Neji hated this choice, of course, and even Omoi believed it was unfair of them to give her a 'lose-lose' mission. Sakura, however, was glad for the chance; she wouldn't freeze up this time, but confront him with fists flying – or bullets.

She smirked; this time, she would win.

Sasori let loose a little yawn as he sat at the table with Deidara, going through the security footage they had secured from the warehouse that night. They had discovered that _Panther_, the long-haired brunette who had trapped Deidara, had been on the scene that night – he was an expert in tracking and trapping, thus explaining why Deidara fell for his tricks so quickly.

The redhead, however, wasn't interested in the boy that had wounded Deidara's pride – and his head. He was more concerned with the change in Rose – on the screen there was no difference in her. From the beginning, when she was killing his target, to the end, when she fled, she was a light-haired teenager. There was no Rose, as he saw; he blamed the greyscale footage and the long-shots.

His glanced out of the cafe they were located in and his eyes widened slightly when he saw a flash of pink hair disappearing round a corner. Narrowing his features, the man stood and ignored Deidara as he walked out of the cafe and down the street, following the hair. Sure enough, there she was; Rose, or whoever the little girl was during the day, at least.

She was talking with someone, their tones too low for him to hear. It was a boy, another teenager; this one with dark skin and blonde hair, as well as what seemed like a lollipop in his mouth. The boy was of no interest to him and, when Rose walked away, Sasori stalked after her.

It seemed she was heading in the direction of the concert hall; Sasori's suspicions were confirmed when she slipped in the performer's door, a violin case in her hands. A job or work, he had to wonder; though, if it were a job, he would have been informed – her jobs were _his_, after all. Until she came out again, he would stand and wait.

"I heard that Haruno Sakura was performing tonight," a woman in an extravagant gown that was mismatched when compared to the rest of her commented to her date.

"Her green eyes and pink hair are a sight to behold," the man agreed. "And her musical talent only adds to the joys of watching her perform."

She had better not take too long.

Sasori's eyes slightly narrowed as he noticed someone coming from opposite direction of a long hallway in the concert hall.

A beautiful, young rose petal colour haired woman in elegant deep scarlet dress was walking in an ethereal manner. As he glanced at a dark brown violin case in her pale arm, she softly smiled at Sasori as a greeting and was about to walk past him but halted as she felt a gentle yet firm grip on her slender wrist.

"Ah, aren't you that famous Miss Haruno Sakura, a violin genius among all the nations of the world? Would you mind if I ask you to play a piece of music for me now? You see, I'm feeling rather melancholic at the moment as my business has been being interrupted by someone called...Rose..."

His cold garnet eyes pierced, into mesmerizing, slightly widened green ones of the young violinist. She was quick to cover her surprise and smiled, holding her violin case close to her heart. "I'm afraid that I can't at the moment," she replied, her eyes flashing from grassy green to emeralds. "You see, a Red Scorpion stung my hand earlier, and it still hurts."

"You know, the sting of a red scorpion is enough to kill," Sasori told her with a threatening tone.

"Not if the scorpion gets pricked by a rose's thorns before it can even see what's going on," she sneered, her hand moving to the clasp of her violin case as Sasori's fingers raced to his hidden holster on his waist.

"Oi, Sakura!" someone called, breaking the two from their glares as they both turned to see who was calling her. Sakura's eyes widened slightly and she smiled, ignoring Sasori and running to the man who had bellowed.

"I thought you went home, Omoi!" she gasped, holding the man closely. He snorted.

"Of course I did," he sighed, "but I came back. Someone needs to carry your _real_ violin home for you, right?" he smirked, patting her violin case as she shouldered another, her containing a real instrument. Sakura's eyes darkened.

"I have a job?" she asked. Sasori slipped away, into the shadows. Her jobs were his jobs, after all. However, he had learnt something new that night.

"Haruno Sakura, hmm?" he smirked. "The Rose has been revealed."

Sakura stormed through the streets. Her once beautiful emerald dress was ruined; it had previously dusted the ground as she walked, but was now ripped above her knees. One of the straps was broken and the side of the dress had a tear in it, not to mention her shoes no longer being on her feet but somewhere in the ocean.

And she was soaking wet, though this part wasn't entirely his fault; partly, but not entirely: Mostly.

The Red Scorpion would pay; figuratively _and_ literally.

"_I see you've managed to have your own kill tonight," Sakura commented offhandedly when she arrived, her gun in her hand as she stood before the Red Scorpion himself. He smirked, stepping away from the corpse and up the pier to the cemented road._

"_Indeed I have," he nodded, "and I also became privy to your real identity, Sakura-san." He loved the way her eyes widened at the use of her real name, but not the way she seemed to shrink back. "Come now, Rose; you're not afraid of me are you?"_

"_Hell no!" she roared, bursting from her shell in an explosion of coral pink and harlequin green. The Scorpion smiled in glee – she was here, his Rose had finally arrived._

_They leapt away from each other, guns firing as fast as the bullets could reach the chamber. One ripped his sleeve, scratching his arm and drawing blood, but he was quick to hit her back with a bullet to her torso. It cut cleanly through her dress – no one could dodge a bullet, after all – and Sakura leapt for shelter, cradling her bleeding wound._

"_I wonder how long it will take to defeat you," Scorpion mused as Sakura swore under her breath, ripping a piece off of the bottom of her dress and using it as a make-shift bandage. After tying it, she peaked round the corner of her hiding place – a stack of crates. Scorpion let another bullet fly, this one missing her and hitting her hiding place, before he dropped the gun._

"_I thought you said to never drop a gun," Sakura taunted as she got up, seeing him reaching for a knife._

"_This one was no longer loaded; it couldn't have fired," he told her, walking closer while keeping an eye on her weapon. He stopped for a moment and smirked, tilting his head. "Neither is yours, by the looks of things."_

"_You can't tell that from the outside," Sakura sneered. "It's quite a gamble."_

"_It's not gambling when you know you're going to win," he grinned, running towards her and grabbing her around the throat. "You are a very trigger-happy young woman; you only hessitate in firing now because there are no more bullets for you to fire with."_

"_Damn you," she hissed, trying to breathe while he was choking her. Scorpion rolled his eyes and moved his knife up towards her neck – ready to slit her throat– but Sakura moved at the last moment and it nicked her shoulder, successfully cutting the strap of her dress and giving her a wound to match his._

"_If you continue to move, your death will be slower...painful," he hummed, stroking the knife across her cheek as though it were caressing her skin. She spat at him and Scorpion snarled, throwing her across the ground. Her dress caught on a nail and the bottom tore half-way._

"_Crap," Sakura muttered, ripping the rest of it off – she didn't want to ruin her dress, but it was easier to move with a completely torn hem rather than one that was half-hanging off around her ankles. This time, Sakura was able to roll away from his attack as Scorpion threw a punch towards her, and ran down the pier, losing one of her shoes as it fell off her foot and into the water._

"_You've trapped yourself, idiot," he sighed, rubbing his temples. "I'm not going to kill you if you make it easy."_

_Sakura glanced from him to the shimmering, night-time waters of the bay and winced. "This is going to be cold," she realised as she allowed herself to fall off of the edge. The freezing water hit her skin like needles and she lost her second shoe, but paid no attention to this as she swam under the pier, breathing as lightly as she could._

"_Fine, I'm leaving," Scorpion sighed. "I'll be back though, so make sure next time is more entertaining, hmm?"_

"_Damn bastard."_

He was going to _pay_.


	4. A Scorpion in an Art Shop

Chapter Four

Sasori flicked through the newspaper in front of him as he sat on a stool, surrounded by carvings. This was who he was in the day – a young man who got by through selling his art to anyone who would take it; usually, this was young children who wanted a puppet to play with. He sneered – his works were no mere playthings, but he wouldn't say a word so long as it put money in his hand.

However, it was not just his carvings that he sold. He also stocked small clay models hand-made by Deidara, and a few paintings by Sai – both, of course, cover-artists who really worked for the Kagura clan. It was an art shop, in all truth, and stocked paints, brushes, woodworking tools and so on. It was mundane, but he only had two work-days a week – the remaining four days, as the shop was closed on Sunday – were split between Sai and Deidara.

"I'm telling you," a boy's voice said as someone walked into the small shop, "you need a life."

"I have one," a girl scoffed. "The only reason you don't know about it is because I'd rather keep you _away_ from my personal life."

"Sakura, c'mon!" whined the boy. Sasori looked over his paper and almost fell off of his stool.

'_Rose,_' he gasped mentally. With her was someone he didn't recognise, but their closeness suggested that _she_ knew him. Sasori hid his face further into his paper and frowned. _'If she finds out that I work here, I'll no longer have the edge against her! She'll know my identity!'_

"Dude, where's the paint?" the boy asked gruffly, snarling at the rude behaviour of the shop assistant who hadn't bothered to look up from his paper.

Swallowing hard, Sasori lifted his hand over the paper and pointed to the aisle that held the watercolours and outdoor paints. When he heard footsteps, he allowed himself to be relieved for a moment, but knew they would come back to pay should they pick something out. Of course, Rose had seen his partner, so all he could hope was that Deidara didn't come for lunch that day.

"Sasori!" yelled the blonde, Sasori's prayers left unanswered. "What's with the paper?"

"How much is all this?" a girl's voice broke through the smell of cheap Chinese food in plastic containers. Deidara stifled a gasp at the sight of Rose in casual clothing and she glanced at him, raising an eyebrow. "Do I know you?"

"Sure you do, Sakura," the boy with her chuckled. "He's a part of this magical 'life' you _don't_ have outside work."

"Shut up, Kiba," she growled, elbowing him. Sasori lowered his paper quickly and narrowed his eyes, waiting for her reactions. There wasn't any. She merely paid for her paints, and a large brush, and left.

"Was that...?" the blonde trailed off, still not believing his eyes.

"Yes, it was," nodded Sasori, his frown growing as he watched her and her friend – Kiba – continue down the street.

The look she had given him proved it. She had recognised him.

Her eyes were hard harlequin green – Rose.

"Are you okay?" Kiba asked Sakura once there were clear of the shop. They were going to his house to paint Akamaru's new doghouse, as the style he bought only came in pink.

"What do you mean?" she asked airily, swinging the bag with the paints. Kiba took it off of her and held it firmly, his hand clasped tightly around the handle as his eyes pierced her defences.

"You were stiff," he noticed, "as soon as that blonde guy walked in."

"Was I?" she asked, gulping.

"Don't play dumb," Kiba deadpanned, "it doesn't suit you."

"Look, don't go all _Shikamaru_ on me, okay?" she sighed. "I like hanging out with you because you don't usually try to analyse my every move."

"I'm not," he defended, "but I _am_ worried about you. Neji spilled the beans to Shino and me about the whole 'Red Scorpion', thing."

"Great," Sakura uttered sarcastically. "Anything else he told you?"

"That you're smokin' hot," Kiba grinned, "but I don't think he wanted me to tell you that part."

"That _really_ sounds like Neji, alright," she laughed, elbowing her friend happily, but his face turned serious again.

"Are you going to tell me?" he prompted, forcing Sakura to sigh.

"Nothing's wrong," she said, "I'm just...tired." Her words were lies, as she had a perfectly normal amount of sleep that night, but she _was_ slightly disoriented after seeing Red Scorpion out of a fighting situation. Red Scorpion; what was it his friend had called him? Sasori – a fitting name, she thought.

"You're thinking about something," Kiba spoke, his eyes narrowing as he observed her dreamy face. Sakura's eyes focused instantly and she glared up at him.

"No, I'm not," she ground out, trying to convince him _and_ her own mind at the same time. _'He looks pretty good in casual clothes. The glare, though? Rather unattractive.'_ Smirking slightly, she realised something. _'We're even now, I guess. We both know each other outside of work.'_

In truth, she wasn't sure at first if it was him or not. By the end of it, she had only recognised him by his eyes.

They were a piercing rust-colour, digging into her soul the way no other eyes could.

"So, she knows you now," Deidara frowned, picking at his shrimp noodles – his hunger had left him when the situation turned. Sasori, on the other hand, looked as though nothing had happened. "She could find out where you live; she could involve people outside of the company, from your personal life."

"She can't," Sasori cut in, smoothly, as he sipped his water. "I have no one other than acquaintances from the company, and it wouldn't be too bad for her to know where I live. The worst thing that could happen is if she sneaks in when I'm in the shower." He smirked, picturing her face – he then scowled, realising that such a situation would cause Rose to recede and Sakura to immerge; how he hated Sakura.

That snivelling teenage girl she used as a cover. Whether or not it was her real name, it was _not_ her real personality. She was her job – you had to be, in their line of work – and therefore she was a bold, powerful young woman with blood staining her hands. It was pitiful to see her switch from her more attractive persona to the weak, pathetic child she pretended to be.

"I think I shall do just that, though," he hummed, forming a plan.

"Do...what?" asked Deidara, confused when Sasori spoke suddenly.

"Find out where she lives."

Sasori had been waiting outside Haruno Sakura's home for two hours when he caught sight of her and the boy she was with earlier. Both of them were covered in paint, smiling, and a large white dog was cantering ahead of them. She was a sight to see, this 'Sakura' – vibrantly coloured and very pretty to anyone who had seen no other side of her. Sasori, who was better acquainted with Rose, could only look at this side of her in disgust.

"Why did you have to come back so early?" groaned the brunette as he threw an arm over her shoulders and smudged a streak of paint over her cheek. Sakura pushed him away playfully and laughed.

"You may not like me having a boyfriend," she giggled and Sasori froze, "but I _enjoy_ dating."

'_Boyfriend?'_ he snarled mentally. _'Is she truly that idiotic? She's getting him involved in a world that he had no part in!'_

"Setting up your life, huh?" the boy sighed sadly. Sakura looked at him and nudged him gently, smiling.

"We can still be friends, Kiba," she told him. "I just need to get out. I can't stand this life anymore."

'_Get out?'_ snorted Sasori, _'Impossible. Stupid girl thinks she can just leave? She has to kill __**me**__ first, because I am definitely not letting out little back-and-forth end so easily.'_

"They'll never let you leave," he grumbled.

"I'll die trying," she assured.

"Indeed you will," Sasori smirked, stepping into view.


	5. Scorpion Kisses

Chapter Five

"Miss me?" she heard him sneer, his narrow eyes focused on her and completely ignoring her companion. His loss, she smirked as Kiba reached into his back pocket and removed his knife.

"Hardly," replied Sakura easily, feeling the change in her that prepared her as Rose to face Red Scorpion. Sasori, she corrected; hot, though very intimidating, Sasori.

"Hey!" Kiba growled as he was knocked to the ground, a larger figure kicking his knife away. Sakura looked down, her eyes wide, while Deidara grinned up at her from his place sitting on Kiba's back.

"Followed you, Danna," he said to Sasori, "Good thing, too, hmm?"

"Idiot," scoffed Sasori as he stepped slowly towards Sakura. She flinched when he stopped in front of her and he smirked, lower his mouth to her ear. "Now, wouldn't it just be a shame if you were to die before we could get to know each other?"

_**BANG**_

Sasori stumbled back, his eyes wide, as he clutched his bleeding arm. He looked at the pinkette, but she looked just as shocked as he did. Snarling again, Red Scorpion looked around quickly and caught sight of who had shot him – long brown hair, tied at the nape of the person's neck; piercing eyes. The gun smoked in their hand as they pulled it back, reloading it, and held it pointed at Deidara.

"Get _off_ of my brother!" the woman barked and Deidara quickly stood and backed off.

"Aneki!" called Kiba in surprise as he and Sakura ran behind her, she being the only one who was armed. Sakura suddenly felt useless, wishing that she hadn't allowed Omoi to take her gun after her last job.

"We're going back to the hideout," she said to them quietly as she glared at the two men across from them. "Friends of yours?" she sniffed, her eyes lingering on the wound she had inflicted on the redhead.

"You could say that," Sakura sighed sarcastically, scratching her cheek as she and Sasori locked gazes. "The Brain is never going to let me live this down," she groaned, thinking of course of their resident genius – Nara Shikamaru.

"Better alive and taunted," Kiba said, "than just plain dead."

"He hasn't killed me yet," she smiled. Sasori and Deidara watched them for another moment before the blonde gulped.

"Okay, you win," he surrendered, moving to help his bleeding friend.

"Where do you think you're going?" Hana sneered.

"He needs help!" yelled Deidara, holding his hands up when she again turned the gun on him.

"Let them go," Sakura said, still looking directly at Sasori.

"You sure?" asked Kiba, frowning at his friend. She nodded.

"He's wounded," she said. "If Red Scorpion is going to die, it's not going to be from blood loss from a wound like that. His life is mine, or vice-versa."

"You're going to let him live," Hana said slowly, lowering her gun, "so that he can kill you?"

Harlequin met rust and she smirked, "Exactly."

It had been three days since that wild woman had shot him, and Sasori still stung. Of course, he had been shot before, so it wasn't his wounded arm that hurt, but rather his pride. Rose, the woman he had spent his time recently trying to kill, had been the one to save his life; his pride would never recover.

"Sasori no Danna!" sang Deidara as he burst into the art shop, a smiling Sai following behind.

"What do you two want?" he sighed heavily. Deidara sniggered and held out a photo. Upon inspection, Sasori's eyes widened; it was Rose, but not doing a job like usual. She was with a man; his hair was a deeper shade of red than Sasori's; his eyes were sharp teal and lined with black, while his skin was paler and he wasn't as tall as the older redhead.

"His face shows definite jealousy," Sai observed. Sasori would have argued, but it was useless – Sai was a complete idiot when it came to expressing emotions but a master at reading them, and Sasori believed it a waste of time to deny the truth.

"Who is he?" he growled, reaching out for the picture. The pinkette looked so happy, her eyes dancing in a way that he had never seen.

"Tanuki," was Deidara's blunt answer. Sasori cursed his very name.

"Is he...a Senju?" he asked.

"No, but he is allied with them," the blonde said, gently throwing the photo in Sasori's direction. "Tanuki is his codename; I don't know his real name, hmm."

"Easy enough to discover," shrugged Red Scorpion. "Sai, contact Hatake, would you?"

"Very well," the palest of them all conformed.

"You'd better be grateful for that," the blonde scoffed, tapping the photo. "I almost got caught. Her boyfriend's keen senses are what gave him away as an assassin, the moron."

"Funny," Sasori hummed, "he's not the only moron walking the streets," he added, his eyes lazily drifting to the blonde.

"I can see where I'm not wanted. I have some work to do anyway," Deidara yawned, "so I'm off. Just wanted to give you that photo, is all, hmm."

"Get out of here," snarled Sasori, his fist clenching around the photo as Sai returned holding a phone.

"Hatake," he said simply, handing the phone to the oldest of them and followed Deidara out. "By the way," Sai said, standing by the door, "they're headed to Akimichi Ryoori."

"I see," Sasori nodded, watching Sai leave before putting the phone to his ear hastily.

"_Yo_," Kakashi's voice sounded through the phone, "_is anyone there_?"

"Hatake, I need some information," Sasori said to the more experienced Kaguya ally.

"_Of course you do,_" Kakashi mused, "_because no one ever calls just to chat._"

"Save it," he groaned, "I need the name of Tanuki, of the Senju clan."

"_Oh, Gaara_?" he hummed instantly and Sasori's eyes widened.

"How did you...?" he trailed off, hearing Kakashi chuckle.

"_My little secret_," he taunted, hanging up.

"So," Sasori mused, putting down the phone, "his name is –"

"Gaara!" giggled Sakura as Gaara picked her up and lifted her onto his broad shoulders easily.

"The best violinist in the world," he grumbled with a small smile. "I wonder if I could display you in a museum somewhere."

"Don't be silly!" she grinned, ruffling his hair. Enduring it for five seconds, Gaara then put her on the ground and glared. His expression softened when she looked up at him, her eyes dancing.

"So, where are we going tonight?" she asked him, twirling around his still form with a side smile, "The park? The art museum?" she paused and winced at this last suggestion of hers – too reminiscent of Sasori.

"How about Akimichi Ryoori?" he smirked, seeing her eyes light up at the thought of eating at one of the best restaurants in town. Both froze suddenly, feeling as though they were being watched. Looking around sharply, Sakura caught sight of bright yellow hair before the owner of the locks disappeared behind a building.

"Let's go," the pinkette said slowly, taking Gaara's arm as he led her to the eatery. He looked down at her, a fond smile on his face as he took in her emerald green, off-the-shoulder jumper – a present from Temari for her birthday last year – and her brown, plaid skirt. To finish the outfit, she had on a pair of white tights – it was winter, after all – and lace-up, knee-high brown boots. On her head was a brown woollen ski hat with green tassels on top and falling from the ear-flaps.

"You look beautiful," he observed, looking away when she looked up at him.

"You don't look so bad yourself," Sakura smiled, blushing; it wasn't often that Gaara complimented her, so she enjoyed it whenever he did. He, himself, was wearing a white t-shirt, brown leather jacket and black jeans. Gaara, if his choice in clothing was any indication, was immune to the cold.

They walked into the well-known restaurant and the maitre d' – who they knew to be the son of the owners, working part-time – seated them. At the fancy table-for-two, they were served water and breadsticks, given menus and the waiter promised to be back shortly to take their orders. Opening the menu and sipping at her water, Sakura looked down the menu.

"I think I'll have the Feuilleté of wild mushroom with Stilton glaze," she told him, looking at her boyfriend as he placed down his menu and picked up a breadstick, chewing on the end.

"Roast stone sea bass with deep fried basil," he told her with a blank face, folding their menus together and waving a waiter over. Sakura smiled and shook her head fondly as Gaara relayed their orders to the waiter and asked for two glasses of pineapple juice – a favourite they shared.

"So, why the sudden date, Gaara?" asked Sakura, leaning forwards towards him as she smiled. "I'm not complaining or anything, but usually _I_ have to set up our dates and stuff."

"I heard Red Scorpion was after you, personally," muttered Gaara, reaching across the table and taking her hand. "Does he want to kill you?"

"I think so," Sakura replied quietly and honestly. "He's let me go once, and I've escaped once, but it's pretty clear that we're both after each other's heads – me, because it's my mission, and him because my mission are usually his, too, and I take them before he can."

"Then stop taking his missions," Gaara warned her slowly. "He's a veteran, and _dangerous_. You don't stand a chance, Sakura."

"Your faith in me is astounding," she said sarcastically, but understood the concern behind his stern tone. "I get it, but I can't just quit. He's my last mission."

"You mean...?" Gaara trailed off, his eyes widening and his hand gripping her tighter, "When? I'll have to pack, and inform Temari and Kankuro."

"Are you _sure_ you want to come with me?" the pinkette asked him, gulping when she thought of him rejecting her. "Y-You don't have to; we'll be hunted down to be killed for the rest of our lives, Gaara."

"I want to, Sakura," he breathed, leaning in towards her and kissing her forehead tenderly. He pulled back and looked her in the eye, leaning close to kiss her lips, "I want to be with you when you leave, Sakura."

"Why?" she gasped, leaning towards him as well.

"Because," he smiled, "Because I...I love –"

"Well, well, well," a sneering voice cut in. "How cute."

Sasori sat outside Akimichi Ryoori with a scowl on his face as he watched Gaara and Sakura taking their seats. As soon as the waiter left them, the atmosphere around them became a lot more intimate. They spoke in hushed tones, both facing each other and leaning close. When Gaara kissed her forehead, Sasori had seen enough.

All thought left his mind as he stormed into the restaurant, everyone turning to him but the couple his eyes were on. They were too absorbed in each other to notice him, he realised scornfully. When Gaara leaned in to kiss her again, Sasori's blood boiled and he couldn't stop himself from interrupting, albeit with a cliché and rather lame statement.

"Who are you?" growled Gaara, his arm leaning across the table to shield Sakura from Sasori. Rolling his eyes, the taller redhead grabbed Gaara's arm and squeezed – the needle embedded in his glove pierced Tanuki's arm and injected the poison into his bloodstream.

"Gaara!" yelped Sakura when he fell across the table, unconscious. Sasori removed his glove and took the pinkette's arm, dragging her out of her seat and away from the restaurant. She fought weakly against him, her main focus being her _boyfriend's_ wellbeing rather than her own life being in immediate danger.

"Silence," hissed Sasori, pulling her close to him and leaning his forehead on her own. Her eyes were wide, grassy green, and Sasori sneered – usually she would be Rose by now, not still a frightened teenage girl.

"Let me go!" she shrieked, hitting against his chest and shoulders as her legs flailed. Sighing through his nose, Sasori dragged her into an alley and pushed her against a wall, lifting her off of her feet as he moved his face closer to her own.

"I suggest you be quiet, child," he warned. Still, her eyes remained grassy and Sasori was getting frustrated. "Where are you?" he growled, grabbing her chin and moving her head to the sides, but still her eyes would not harden. Surely she would be angered by now, not scared.

"Get off of me," she whimpered, the edges of her eyes narrowing but the fear remaining in their depths as her gaze flickered towards the restaurant her boyfriend was in. A thought struck Sasori in that instant and he smirked.

'_For Rose to appear, her attention must be solely on me,'_ he recalled, pulling her head around to face him again. _'The quickest, quietest way to do that would be...'_

"Hey!" yelled Sakura, trying to get free when he moved closer, "What're you –?"

Sasori cut her off by pressing his lips to her own, closing his eyes tightly and knowing from the way she tensed that Rose had arrived. However, rather than pull back and fight, Sasori leaned in closer. He was having too much fun to wait for another opportunity like this, and knew that no amount of waiting would bring forth another girl like Rose. Therefore, since he would have to kill her eventually, he would enjoy her while he could.

Sakura's eyes were wide and hard, glaring at the closed eyelids of the man kissing her. He had poisoned Gaara, removed her from the restaurant she was having a date in, dragged her into an alley, and was now in the process of stealing a kiss. The sheer ridiculousness of the situation was overwhelming, especially since this man was supposed to be trying to kill her, not kiss her. At last, he pulled away – his smirk made her snap.

The pinkette let her leg fly and it faithfully managed to clip his gut as he jumped away from her, his amused expression not dropping as he licked his lips and chuckled. With narrowed eyes, Sakura crouched low and wished she had listened to Omoi when he had told her to take her gun. He said Red Scorpion could show up at any time, she had laughed – well, who was laughing now? Sasori, actually; but Omoi would laugh, too, when he heard.

"You know, maybe I won't kill you yet," Sasori hummed, ducking under a punch aimed at his head and grabbing her arms, stilling her as he leaned closer. "I think I'll have to take another kiss, first."

"Don't even –!" he cut off her warning with his lips, but this kiss was chaste and quick as he leapt to the side, laughing while dodging her kick. Without warning, Sasori moved towards her again and stole another kiss before he jumped away from her flying fists. "Stop doing that!" fumed the pink-haired assassin.

"I can't help it," laughed Sasori, leaning his back on the alley wall as he clutched his stomach, his laughter now escalating at the indignant look on her face. "I never thought you'd actually look cute, Rose."

"My name is Sakura," she huffed, scowling, "and you _know_ that, _Sa-so-ri_," she said his name in a gloating way, boasting that she knew him too, but when his expression darkened Sakura suddenly wished she had kept her mouth shut.

"Do you want me to kiss you again?" he threatened, pushing off the wall and striding across the small space between them, taking her throat and pushing her to the wall.

"N-No," Sakura choked out, glaring at him.

"Oh?" he hummed, but his expression did not match the amusement in his voice; his eyes were darker than ever and his mouth was pulled into a frown. "If you want me to stop, perhaps you should stop _tempting_ me."

"I never tempted you!" she yelled, gulping when his eyes met hers. "I never tempted you," Sakura repeated, though this time her voice was weaker. She shrank away from him and he growled.

"No!" he roared, swooping in and kissing her again. "I will not be near a helpless little girl," the man continued when he pulled back. "I call you Rose, for she is strong; _Sakura_ is weak, helpless and pathetic."

"Rose and Sakura are one-in-the-same," the pinkette sneered and Sasori's eyes widened, "just like Sasori and Red Scorpion are."

"No," he smirked, "you are wrong. I am _always_ Akasuna no Sasori. Red Scorpion is just a title; I am _Sasori_, the killer. You, on the other hand, created Rose to hold all of your malicious intent – as Sakura, you are _normal_. There is no beauty in normality."

"Gaara thinks so," she cried, tears forming in her eyes, "but you _killed_ him!"

"I did no such thing," groaned Sasori, letting go of her throat and resuming his position against the alley wall, rubbing his forehead. "It was a weak poison; he'll need bed rest and fluids, but it should have dissolved from his system by now, already."

"Really?" she asked with hope filling her voice. Sasori grabbed her arm before she could leave the alley and run to her _boyfriend_, pulling his gun from inside his coat and holding it to her forehead.

"You wanted out, right?" he asked tonelessly, his face unreadable. "I can give you that, Sakura. One bullet and it'll be over. Could _Gaara_ give you that?"

"Gaara wants to come with me into hiding," Sakura replied evenly, knowing not to set him off.

"Hiding?" scoffed Sasori. "Is that a life?"

"I could be," she gulped. "He's giving me more that way that you could with a bullet."

"What can he give you that I cannot?"

"Love," Sakura told him. Sasori turned her around so they were facing each other and he looked into her eyes – they were neither the harlequin he loved nor the grassy green he loathed, but he found this middle-ground to be the most beautiful thing he had ever witnessed.

"What if I _could_ give that to you?"


	6. The End of the Tale

Chapter Six

Gaara's head hurt, the pounding not ceasing as he blearily opened his eyes. A steady 'beep' sounded to his left and to his right was the tell-tale scratching sound of someone writing. Surely Sakura would know better than to sit at his bedside writing loudly; she _knew_ it would wake him up. She...She knew him, the other redhead. She had recognised him in the restaurant...she had been taken by him...she was gone.

"Sakura!" yelled Gaara, sitting up suddenly and grasping his throbbing skull in his hands when the sudden movement made him feel as though someone had smashed his cranium with a sledgehammer.

"S-Sabaku-sama!" yelped the girl at his bedside, whom he recognised as Matsuri, a nurse at the Hyuuga-owned Hospital the assassins would be treated in. "You need to rest," she said, trying to push him back, but Gaara fought her to release him.

"Gaara?" a soft voice from the door called out and Gaara's body slackened as he looked towards the entrance to the room, his stony eyes turning pleading when he saw his older sister and brother.

"Where is Sakura?" he asked them, looking between the blonde and the brunette in worry. "She was taken by someone; I think it was –"

"Red Scorpion," Kankuro cut in, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Well," Gaara chocked, "is she –?"

"She's fine," assured Temari, walking to him and placing a soothing hand on his shoulder.

"She's being debriefed by Hyuuga-sama right now," his older brother told him, shaking his head. "I've never seen her look so confused. She was found alone in an ally, just sitting against the wall with this blank look on her face – she's told no one what that bastard did or said."

"If he's hurt her, I'll –" Gaara cut himself off with a growl as he thrashed out, his fist creating a hole in the wall behind him.

"Temper, Sabaku," the cool, snide voice of Hyuuga Neji sounded as he swept into the room with Sakura by his side. Gaara's eyes widened in relief and he was about to call out to her, but she fixed him with a cold stare and he stiffened.

"Gaara, I need to talk to you," she said in an almost whisper. Everyone else caught on to her meaning and filtered out of the room, Matsuri the last to leave as she cast a longing glance at Gaara.

"What is it?" asked Gaara as he sat back in bed, wincing when his head offered another rebellious thud.

"I'm not completing my mission," she said to him evenly, "and I am leaving right away. You will not come with me; I am leaving alone."

"Sakura, you can't," he said to her, not willing to yell lest his head explode from the force. "We promised that we would escape together."

"Escape?" the pinkette snorted. "For you, there is _no_ escape. You are the leader of the Suna Ranks, Gaara, and you love this life – your team respects you, adores you, and you love having them there for you. I'm too...fickle...to offer you that kind of support daily."

"Don't say that," he gulped, seeing the resolve in her eyes.

"Goodbye, Gaara," said Sakura, not even kissing his cheek as she turned stiffly and walked out of the room. Ignoring the devastated look flashing on Gaara's face, she turned to Neji. "Is that good enough?" she sneered, finally allowing her heartbreak to show on her face. Neji nodded, took her elbow, and led her away.

"_Haruno," Hyuuga Hiashi grunted as she bowed low, her eyes wide with what she expected – demotion, at the least, for failing again. "Rise and explain yourself," he ordered and Sakura straightened, glancing at Neji; always by his uncle's side._

"_I have no explanation," she told him truthfully. "Red Scorpion was there and I failed to dispose of him; that's all there is to it."_

"_Insolence," Hiashi hissed, moving to strike her. Sakura's eyes hardened and she side-stepped, holding his sleeve and tugging him to the side, forcing the leader of the Hyuugas to stumble before her, falling to his knees. Neji tense and darted forwards, wrapping an arm around Sakura's neck and holding her hands behind her back as Hiashi found his bearings._

"_You fool," whispered Neji mournfully. He had saved her that day when the Uchiha went on a rampage, and she was therefore __**his**__ responsibility._

"_Haruno, prepare yourself," warned Hiashi. "You will break all ties in this organisation and report back for your punishment."_

"_Death," she said bluntly, smiling a little. "He was right."_

"_Who?" Neji frowned, his grip on her slackening. Sakura noticed, but didn't break free; it was useless now._

"_Red Scorpion," she whispered. "Death really __**is**__ the only way out. I should have begged him to shoot me."_

"_Neji, go with her," Hiashi commanded, glaring at the broken assassin – she was useless to him now._

"_I only have one person to say goodbye to," she informed him. "Take me to Gaara."_

Sakura stood in Hiashi's office for the second time that day, a tantō in her hand pressed to the left side of her stomach. Seppuku was truly the only way out for her now – an honourable death. Present at this execution was Hyuuga Hiashi, Inuzuka Tsume, Nara Shukaku, Aburame Shibi, Utsukushii Haku, and Sarutobi Asuma – the Clan Heads. Also present was the leader of their organisation, Senju Tsunade, and Omoi, Sakura's handler.

"Haruno Sakura," Tsunade began, her tone formal though her eyes sad, "you stand accused of betrayal of trust, conspiracy with the enemy, and disrespect of a Clan Head. Do you deny these accusations?"

"No," Sakura said, her eyes lowered in submission – Tsunade was the one person present she could not mock, and before her honeyed gaze she felt guilt and remorse. After being taken in and treated like a daughter by Tsunade, this is how she repaid her.

"Very well," Tsunade nodded, sighing. "Death by Seppuku; Haruno Sakura will be remember for her honour, and not by her betrayal. Begin," she said sharply and Sakura plunged the tantō towards her stomach.

"Not today, un," a rushed voice yelled as the tantō was removed from her hand and thrown towards Tsunade. Arms swept Sakura off of her feet and she looked up, her eyes widening upon sighting Akasuna no Sasori, his face set in determination.

"Haruno Sakura is on the record as a Kaguya first," pronounced a cold, absent voice. Looking rapidly to her left, Sakura saw someone she recognised well – Uchiha Itachi, Sasuke's brother. "To kill her would be to kill one of the Kaguya operatives."

"She is a Senju, now," snapped Omoi, sneering.

"She was kidnapped on the night of Uchiha Sasuke's blood-rage by one Hyuuga Neji," said Itachi as though he were reading off a scroll. "Haruno Sakura is therefore a prisoner who was tricked into submission to Senju rule."

"Will you return to your rightful place, hmm?" asked the blonde, who had thrown the tantō, with a wide grin. "Kakashi-san misses you."

"K-Kakashi-sensei," murmured Sakura and Sasori nodded to the other two. The blonde opened his hand and throw down a smoke bomb, covering the escape of the Kaguya operatives.

Rose and Red Scorpion disappeared that night, never to return.

In a report co-written by Uzumaki Deidara and Uchiha Itachi, it is stated that Red Scorpion and Rose were captured by Senju operative during their escape and killed instantly, they bodies burned and unrecoverable. The two were given a service and remembered in honour by all who knew them, and many who did not. So ends the tale of Rose and Red Scorpion.

The tale of Sakura and Sasori extends through many more years, however, as each abandoned their titles and clan names. Sasori found that, without 'Haruno' holding her to reality and 'Rose' holding her soul in the dark, Sakura herself remained constantly in that mix of grassy and harlequin. Sakura discovered that Sasori would never change, and for that reason alone she was glad.

They did not fall in love and live happily ever after, however. The duo were on the run constantly, recognised and hunted several times by both the Kaguya and Senju clans. Love was a process for them, much like in an arranged marriage when the couple learned to like each other – due to the circumstances, they quickly realised that they were all the other would have and their mutual understanding slowly formed into love.

This is the story of how Sakura and Sasori lived and turned hate into love; this is the story of how the Rose and the Scorpion lost their thorns.


End file.
